Poilievre shrugs off Musk's pro

Poilievre shrugs off Musk's pro-separatist posts: 'Canadians control their own destiny'

Conservative leader says 'silly tweets' have 'no power over what Canadians do'

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre dismissed tech billionaire Elon Musk's calls this week for Quebec, Alberta and Saskatchewan to separate from Canada, saying "Canadians control their own destiny."

"I think we need to spend less time worrying about silly tweets by people who have no power over what Canadians do," Poilievre said in Burlington, Ont., on Friday. "Canadians control their own destiny."

The Conservative leader said more focus should be placed on real issues facing Canadians such as the price of groceries, homes and their economic future.

"Frankly, people can tweet whatever they want. But tweets and memes do not affect Canada, what affects Canada is the decisions made by the Canadian people."

'Tweets and memes do not affect Canada': Poilievre responds to Elon Musk separatism comments

Musk's comments on Wednesday were contained in his reply to a post on X reporting that Parti Québécois premier-designate Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said his dream of Quebec independence "will be realized one day."

"Good. Quebec should separate," Musk responded. He then followed up with another post saying: "They would be better off. Alberta and Saskatchewan should separate too."

Poilievre said he will be back in Alberta next week to give a speech on Canadian unity in advance of the Oct. 19 referendum.

"We encourage all Canadians of all parties to join in uniting all Canadians to make ourselves safe, affordable and fully independent here at home. That's our mission and that's what we will deliver," he said.

Prime Minister Mark Carney dismissed Musk's comments on Thursday, saying during a news conference in Sherbrooke, Que., that "the future of Canada will be decided by Canadians and the priorities of Canadians and the priorities of the people of Quebec."

Canada's future 'will be decided by Canadians': Carney on foreign interference

He said that the priorities of his government were to build a strong Quebec and a strong Canada that was more sovereign and prosperous.

Doing that, Carney said, would allow Canadians to "live our lives as we choose" in a way "that respects our language, our culture, our way of life and [is] free from interference from foreign governments and large tech firms that think they can tell us what to do."

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's response to Musk was much shorter, saying only: "No"

This isn't the first time Musk has taken a step into Canadian politics.

Early last year used his social media platform to endorse Poilievre and shower him with praise as he reposted his tweets and appl auded his speeches and media interactions.

At the same time, he mocked former prime minister Justin Trudeau over his resignation, borrowing U.S. President Donald Trump's language to refer to him as a "governor" and calling Trudeau an "insufferable tool."

Sask., Alberta premiers reject Elon Musk's call for provinces to separate from Canada

Elon Musk praises Poilievre, mocks Trudeau as he steps into Canadian politics

In Germany, Musk has previously endorsed the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) leader, Alice Weidel, who is a fierce critic of multiculturalism.

Musk continues to support the AfD despite some prominent members having been ostracized for their failure to condemn the war crimes of the Nazis.

Peter Zimonjic is a senior writer for CBC News who reports for digital, radio and television. He has worked as a reporter and columnist in London, England, for the Telegraph, Times and Daily Mail, and in Canada for the Ottawa Citizen, Torstar and Sun Media. He is the author of Into The Darkness: An Account of 7/7, published by Vintage.